


Parting Ways

by watermelonriddles



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, soft Rio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 14:19:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18284021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermelonriddles/pseuds/watermelonriddles
Summary: Instead, Annie’s words echoed through her mind. “That thing [Rio] does… Hand on the back of your neck? Staring into your eyes? His forehead against yours? The kiss on your cheek? Any of this ringing a bell?” Now that it was clear Annie and Ruby had spied the interaction on more than one occasion, Beth couldn’t stop thinking about it.





	Parting Ways

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I just really needed some soft Brio in my life right now.

Beth had noticed of course. How could she not? But it — the way Rio parted ways with her — didn’t really dwell on her mind until Annie had pointed it out one night. It was only ever when he thought they were alone that he did it.

She was sat outside on the picnic bench. Her back was to the table, looking out over the garden. It wasn’t quite light out yet and although it wasn’t her weekend with the kids, she couldn’t bring herself to go back to sleep and have a lie in. Instead, Annie’s words echoed through her mind. _“That thing he does… Hand on the back of your neck? Staring into your eyes? His forehead against yours? The kiss on your cheek? Any of this ringing a bell?”_ Now that it was clear Annie and Ruby had spied the interaction on more than one occasion, Beth couldn’t stop thinking about it.

It had happened over time. First, he stood a little closer to her. Then it was his hand on her cheek that had slowly become his hand on the back of her neck. The first time he had leaned forward to press his forehead against hers, her breath had caught. For a while, he would just pull away and leave without a word until eventually, he incorporated the kiss. A soft one on her right cheek, _always_ her right cheek, and his lips would linger just long enough to make it last.

The sound of her back door rattling threw her from her thoughts. “Over here,” she called without looking up.

Even when Rio climbed over the picnic bench and sat on the table, she didn’t look at him. His legs were right beside her and she found that she had to resist the urge to lean into him a little bit.

“What’s up, mama? Ain’t you got to get your kids ready soon?”

“They’re at Dean’s.”

“And my first question?”

Beth got up and stood in front of him. He did exactly what she expected and leaned forward, propped up on his knees. She studied him for a moment. He had that grey beanie on, it looked good. She would even go so far as to say it was a favourite of hers. The rest of his outfit was pretty typical. Black everything but this time he had on a decent coat, more suited for the cold, although it was unbuttoned and she could see underneath that he was only wearing a thin, plain t-shirt.

It was now or never. Beth wasn’t quite sure how to have the conversation she needed to so instead she took another route. Stepping forward, she reached out and gently cupped his cheek. He straightened up just a little and leaned into her touch. As he looked to her, she leaned in, throwing all caution to the wind, and lightly pressed her lips to his. It was a soft kiss, short, and he had barely kissed her back when she pulled away.

“Hmm,” Rio mused, eyes closed. “Elizabeth?”

His voice had been a little shaky around her name and it had come out more like a question. As her hand fell away from his cheek, he opened his eyes and tilted his head to the side a little, watching her carefully.

“I just wanted to see something,” she supplied.

“Did you?”

Beth thought about that for a moment, trying to decide, but either she took too long to do so or he was just impatient because suddenly he was getting off the picnic bench. He adjusted his beanie before stepping closer to her.

“Will this help?”

Before she could reply, he kissed her. His hand pressed against her lower back and she leaned into him. For once, due to her lack of heels, she was quite a bit smaller than him. She placed her hands on his shoulders for support as she lifted up onto her tiptoes. His arm wrapped around her then and although the kiss was just as soft as before, it lasted much longer.

Long enough in fact, that when they pulled apart, Beth had to take a moment to refocus herself before she could even think about looking at him properly.

There was that signature smirk on his face when she finally did. “Well?” he asked. “Did it?”

“I think it might have.”

When Annie had brought up the way they tended to part, Beth had begun to wonder _why_ it happened. It’s not that she was complaining because she certainly wasn’t. Sometimes, when other people were around, she found herself feeling let down the Rio didn’t do it. She understood why he didn’t but it still hurt in a way that Beth had never really wanted to unwrap. Until now.

Kissing him hadn’t really solved anything but it did sit with her in a way that she hadn’t expected. Her lips tingled and all she wanted, more than anything, was to do it again.

“Elizabeth?” Unlike before, his voice sounded much more confident around her name.

“Annie will be round soon,” she offered up. “She hasn’t got Sadie so we’re going to spend the day together. Keep each other busy.”

Although Rio was silent for a moment, he wasn’t hurt. His eyes were too soft and his lips were parted slightly. He was thinking as he scanned her face. His hand came up to cup her cheek before slipping around to grip the back of her neck. Their eyes locked for a moment or two before he lightly pressed his forehead to hers. She placed her hands on his chest, her hands curling against his t-shirt.

When he pulled away, he looked at her again, a moment longer this time, and then leaned in to kiss her right cheek. She leaned into the familiar feel of him. As he pulled away, he did what he always did, and began to walk away.

“Rio!” she called suddenly, a little louder than she had meant to. When he turned back to her, he looked intrigued but said nothing. “Come back soon, yeah?”

He thought about that for a moment. “Tonight soon enough?”

Beth’s heart did a little flutter and while it made her feel like some stupid love-struck teenager, she didn’t care. “Tonight.”

The corners of his mouth lifted into the slightest smile before he turned away again. This time Beth didn’t stop him. Instead, she just watched until he had rounded the side of the house. Shivering little against the cold, she wrapped her dressing gown more tightly around her and headed inside.

 

* * *

 

Beth was in her kitchen making coffee when the backdoor opened and then promptly closed again. She didn’t turn around, not even when she heard the sound of one of the stools gently scraping along the floor. Instead, she simply pulled out another mug and set about making his tea.

When she finally did turn around, Rio was indeed sat at the island counter. He was leaning on it, head propped up on his hand as he watched her. He was still in the same outfit as earlier only minus the beanie and the coat. While he was still infuriatingly difficult to read, his features were soft.

“There’s pie in the fridge if you want some,” Beth said as she walked around the island counter to his side and placed the tea down in front of him. “Annie and I bought too much earlier.”

“Maybe later.” He didn’t look at her as he wrapped his hands around the mug and took a sip. “Good day?”

Beth nudged one of the stools out of the way before leaning back against the counter. “Lots of shopping and food. I imagine my bank account isn’t going to be very happy with me.”

“No point making all that money if you’re not gonna spend it.”

She watched him then. He was still looking ahead as he went back to drinking his tea. At first, Beth thought that this was going to be it. They would just be there and nothing would get said at all but then she noticed that although he was bringing the mug up to his lips, he wasn’t really drinking. It took her another moment to realise that he was lost in thought, the action just an automatic thing.

“Rio?” He settled the mug down on the counter and gently pushed it away. When he turned to look at her, he shifted his whole body. “What are you thinking about?”

“You.”

Beth wasn’t sure what hit her hardest: the confident but soft way he said it or the word itself. The response had come so quickly. There had been no hesitation or need to think about it.

“Me?”

He nodded a little. “Got me a little fucked up.”

“I… I…” Her mind began to race and she couldn’t begin to put together a single thought let alone speak an entire sentence.

Without a word, Rio got up and Beth had to scramble to put her own mug down so she could follow him as he walked away. It took a second for her to realise that he was heading straight to her bedroom and she almost stopped dead in her tracks. He had a slight head start so when she reached the bedroom door he was already inside, sitting on the end of her bed.

Even when she stood in front of him, Rio didn’t look at her but he did, however, reach out. His fingers gently brushed against hers, causing her hand to twitch involuntarily.

“I didn’t mean to,” she said quietly. “Fuck you up I mean.”

“You apologising?”

“Yes.”

Rio stood up suddenly and finally looked at her. He found her hand again but this time his fingers intertwined with hers. His grip was firm but oddly gentle at the same time and it offered up a comfort that Beth had long since given up on.

With his other hand, Rio reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Don’t apologise.”

“But you… I…” Again, her words failed her.

“You broke a barrier.” Beth tilted her head to the side, brow furrowing, unsure of how to process that or even respond to it. “When you kissed me. It’s like my head keeps going around in circles. I can’t think straight.”

“Because I kissed you?”

“Because I always thought I could keep you at a distance. That I could get up and walk out whenever I wanted.”

“And now?”

“Everything is you.” He gently tapped his temple. “You’ve gotten under my skin, darling, but in the best fucking way.”

Beth could feel her heart begin to slowly speed up. She assumed that if she had ever gotten under his skin it would have been in an irritating way but looking at him now, everything about him was vulnerable. He looked at her in a way that she had previously thought impossible. Not even Dean had looked at her like that. Rio’s eyes were on every inch of her face like he might forget what she looked like if he turned away for even a second. He was chewing on his bottom lip and she was confident that he didn’t even realise it.

 _You’ve gotten under my skin, darling, but in the best fucking way._ His words echoed back to her but she still found it impossible to fully process.

He let go of her hand and then, like always, it found its way to the back of her neck. Things followed as usual. Look, forehead touch, kiss on the cheek. Only this time when Rio pulled away, he lingered, he didn’t leave. Instead, he kissed her.

Beth felt a familiar flutter in the pit of her stomach. The kiss was only short but instead of pulling away, Rio remained close, his lips still almost touching hers. As he reached up to cup her cheek, it hit Beth then why they always parted ways like this. It was his way to avoid saying goodbye. Every time he had done it, it made her feel some kind of way and now she realised that it was hope. Hope that he would be back sooner rather than later and their goodbye wouldn’t be forever.


End file.
